Page 43 - Current Time News Today

They call 2023 "the last year for Russia".

On April 24, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, presiding over a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, delivered an important speech devoted mainly to accusations of the collective West in revising the principles and values of the UN Charter (Mid.ru, April 24). In this context, Lavrov urged the countries of the so-called “Global South”—that is, developing states in Africa, …

As a relatively small country squeezed between two increasingly antagonistic centers of power, Russia and the European Union, Belarus has always stood out for its dependency on multifaceted external factors. The war in Ukraine has exacerbated this dependency and added new aspects to it. Thus, attitudes regarding ordinary Belarusians have noticeably worsened in Ukraine and three neighboring countries—Latvia, Lithuania and …

A Russian aircraft flew from Moscow to Berlin on April 22 with special diplomatic clearance, an air force spokesman told the dpa news agency.

In an interview with RFE/RL and Current Time, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said it is up to Kyiv to decide when is the right time to launch a counteroffensive against the invading Russian Army. He added, however, that based on how much Ukrainian forces have managed to date with limited resources and given NATO’s current level of assistance, he is sure “Ukraine will be successful.” Stoltenberg spoke shortly after a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a platform of count...

Kremlin opponent Vladimir Kara-Murza has been sentenced to 25 years in prison, the lion's share on a charge of "state treason." But his case is far from the only "example" being set by the government: Across Russia, the state is finding "traitors" at a rate unprecedented since Stalin's time. 

More than seven months after the first mobilization drive, anxiety is rising over speculation of a second wave and Russians looking to avoid getting caught up in the fight of Ukraine at home – and abroad -- are facing a new set of obstacles.

Russian President Vladimir Putins decisions are being made in an isolated bubble of distorted perspectives and obsession with personal safety.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed legislation allowing for electronic conscription notices, a bid to cut down on draft dodging as the Kremlin seeks more soldiers for what is expected to be a long war in Ukraine. It’s a “law on hidden mobilization,” an attorney and activist says. 

The Bishkek City Court has canceled a lower court decision to reject an appeal filed by RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, known locally as Radio Azattyk, against the freezing of its bank account last year.